Fairfax is 1-7 against North since January of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Stampede will take on the Mustangs at 5:30 p.m. This will be Fairfax's first chance to prove their worth in the conference.
Fairfax saw some tournament action on Friday. They were outmatched by Casa Grande and fell 52-16.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Adriean Wright, who posted five points. Another player making a difference was Kaycee Noderer, who put up five points.
Meanwhile, North strolled into their game on Tuesday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Mountain Ridge 79-42. The Mustangs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 37 points or more this season.
Fairfax better keep an eye on Xxylina Flores. She was instrumental in North's win, going 9-for-14 en route to 20 points and five assists. With that strong performance, Flores is now averaging an impressive 15.4 points per game. Alemitu Fischer was another key player, shooting 83% from the field on her way to 13 points.
North smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 14 offensive boards every time they've taken the court this season.
North's win bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Fairfax, their loss dropped their record down to 0-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Fairfax has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 34.3 boards per game. However, it's not like North struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 44.2 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Fairfax took a serious blow against North when the teams last played back in January, falling 66-32. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Flores, who went 9-for-21 to rack up 22 points and five assists. Now that the Stampede know the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.